5th Baby, but first with Hypnobabies!

We had our 5th baby, Ava on Thursday evening 7:22pm, just about 2 1/2 hours after getting to the hospital at 40 wks 4 days.

While the birth was not completely pain-free, it was manageable and I was amazed at how well I was able to handle the pushing, which is my most difficult part.

I had been having alot of prodromal labor since Saturday, so when I woke up Thurs. morning with slightly stronger pressure waves, I wasn’t alarmed because they were about 20 minutes apart. I listened to my affirmations and some other hypnobabies CD’s and slept well. We got up and started our day, the pressure waves were stronger, but I pretty much ignored them when they came and didn’t worry about timing them. I lost alot of bloody show throughout the day, so I knew the pressure waves were doing their work.

About 2 pm we went outside to clean off the carport and let the kids ride their bikes, at 2:30pm I started to feel stronger pressure waves, maybe 5 minutes apart now, but nothing serious, so I laid down to listen to the easy first stage and mostly slept and didn’t really feel much at all except some pressure from time to time. By 3:15, I felt the pressure getting really regular, so I got up and my husband and ten year old realized the pws were about 3-4 minutes apart. I didn’t want to get to the hospital too early, so I called my doctor to see if I could get checked and make sure this was it, since it just seemed way too easy.

I got to his office at a little after 4pm and was fully effaced and at 4 cm. I was a little disappointed and really didn’t want to go over to the hospital, but in the Dr.’s office my pw’s were a steady 3 minutes apart and getting harder to walk through and he insisted that he thought I was moving fast and would have this baby quick. I kept telling my husband there was no way it could be this easy and quick.

We took our time checking in and walked around a bit. By 5 pm we were in a room, I let them do 30 minutes of monitoring while sitting on my birth ball and consented to the heplock, to make them feel better. I snuck drinks when the nurse was gone. At 5:30, I got off the monitor and started walking around and changing positions, as I was getting more uncomfortable.

By 6 pm, I knew without a doubt I was entering transformation. I was amazed at how much more connected with my body I was this pregnancy. I really did know what was happening and could feel her coming down, so I just kept visualizing her sliding down. I started to lose focus a little as things got intense and asked my husband if it would be bad to take just a little shot of staidol, but he talked me out of it and told the nurse to stop talking to me and let me focus. So, I tuned everyone out and turned up my MP3 player.

My doctor came and checked me at 6:30pm and I was at 9cm, he asked me if I wanted my water broken and I said no, I wanted as little intervention as possible, so he said he’d wait in the halls and when I was ready for him to call. 15 minutes later I felt the urge to push, so I put on the push your baby out track and started listened. My husband told the Dr. so they could set up, since the bed wasn’t broken down.

I have congenital hip dsyplasia, which makes the pushing a little tricky and I have torn ligmanents, and broken and bruised my tailbone with my other deliveries, because of delivering on my back. I tried to lay down, but couldn’t. I turned up the push your baby out and really focused on listening to my body and what it needed to get this baby out and through the tight squeeze. My Dr. said you do what you need to do and tell me when you’re ready. So, he sat in a corner, I climbed off the bed and squatted next to it, pushing gently betwen contractions. Then I got on all fours for a couple contractions at which point my water broke and the baby crowned. At that point, I turned over on my back and started pushing gently before the next contraction came, when the contraction came I gave a harder push, got her head out and then one more and there she was on my tummy looking around.

My doctor was great, he waited for the cord to stop pulsing, he waited patiently for the placenta to deliver naturally. I had a small tear, but it wasn’t bleeding, so he didn’t think stitches were necessary. He told the nurses to let me keep my baby and nurse her as long as I wanted and to not give me pitocin unless I had alot of bleeding (which I didn’t). After 5 babies the after pains were a little intense, especially with such an ardent little nurser, and that was probably the worst part of it all.

The funniest thing was that after I had Ava on my tummy for a few minute I realized I stll had my ear buds in and push your baby out on. I asked my husband to please take them out for me so I could stop visualizing my cervix as a soft gold ring! The Dr. and nurse asked if that is what it really said and I said yes, they just laughed and said well, it worked! I came home in less than 24 hours and have been feeling pretty good!

All in all it was a great experience, it was hard work, and I lost focus a few times, but just for a moment and then refocused (with my husband’s help) and did it! I joked with the Dr. and was able to laugh and be calm between waves, it really was great! I have been recommending Hypnobabies (and my Dr.) to all my pregnant friends and relatives. I got the After Your Baby CD and am loving it!